WEMO public comment period about to close

Friday

Jan 18, 2013 at 7:00 PMJan 18, 2013 at 9:12 PM

A deadline to offer public comment to the Bureau of Land Management on the El Paso Collaborative Access Planning Area is quickly approaching, according to a BLM operations chief“The public should keep submitting comments,” said Craig Beck, recreations and operations chief for the BLM Ridgecrest field office.

By Jack Barnwelljbarnwell@ridgecrestca.com

The comment phase is part of an overall process under the West Mojave (WEMO) Management Plan to look at a way to designate off-road vehicle access routes for the region, which includes Ridgecrest and the surrounding Kern County.An initial process was drawn up in 2006 to act as a baseline to balance trail use while protecting native endangered species like the Mohave ground squirrel or the desert tortoise. However, in 2011 following a lawsuit filed by a number of environmental groups including the Center for Biodiversity, California Superior Court Judge Susan Illston issued an order invalidating the original route designation process and ordering the BLM to start again from scratch. The only part of the WEMO ammendment to stay intact included conservation efforts.The court ordered the process to be completed by March 31, 2014.A series of public meetings to gauge public reaction were held between October and November to inform the public and gauge public comment on the scenario.Public reaction was strong at both Ridgecrest meetings, particularly among outdoor enthusiasts that use public land for everything from OHV use to hiking, horseback riding and star gazing.Beck said any additional information would be useful in helping to determine which paths and routes people was welcome, whether from marked up maps to GPS locations.The BLM will likely begin reviewing comments after the deadline.“The staff will then develop something and put together a draft to get out to the public,” Beck said. He said that will likely be summer before that happens.The deadline to submit is Friday, Jan. 25.Public comment can be submitted to the BLM Ridgecrest field office at 300 South Richmond Road or by email at cawemopa@blm.gov.

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